Griffith, Maltba earn King of the Track honors at Bristol Dragway

Lee edges Byrd in double breakout during second semifinal Tim Griffith once again proved he is in a class by himself as he defeated all other racers in the final Sunoco Bracket Series event of the season Sunday to earn the prestigious title of Bristol Dragway’s King of the Track.  Griffith, a Cedar Bluff, Va. native, was the last racer standing as all of the senior division winners squared off against each other to determine just who Bristol Dragway’s  top driver was. The first-round pairings saw Griffith, the Pro class champion, take on Sportsman  champ Jason Nelson while Super Pro champion Allen Byrd battled Pro Bike champion Scott Lee. Griffith, winner of two straight Pro titles, posted a .011 reaction time with a 6.854 E.T. at 108.05 mph while Bluff City’s Nelson crossed the finish line .021 second causing him to breakout of his 6.90 projected dial-in time. Lee and Byrd performed a double breakout in the second semifinal with Lee emerging the victor since he missed his dial-in time by a mere .005 second compared to Byrd’s .019 second difference from his dial. The finals featured a showdown between Lee and Griffith, with the Pro class champ hoping last year’s experience would translate into a victory. The second time was the charm for Griffith as he cut a .033 light with a 6.863 elapsed time at 107.64 mph while Lee managed a .027 light with a 5.943 E.T. at 113.39 mph. The King of the Track Junior Division match-up pitted Denver Maltba of Newland, N.C. against Bristol’s Clinton Snead. Maltba, the Division 1 champion captured the victory by hammering out a .078 reaction time with an 8.903 elapsed time at 73.05 mph while Snead, the Division 2 titleholder, nailed down a .044 light with a 7.979 E.T. at 80.50 mph. Three of Bristol Dragway’s Sunoco Bracket Racing Series drivers picked the perfect time to grab their first wins of the season and were awarded Wally’s for the non-points race. Gray’s Stewart Hicks earned top honors in the Super Pro class, the Sportsman victory went to Bluff City’s Michelle Walters and Seth Street of Cedar Bluff, Va. captured the Junior Dragster 2 win. Other winners from the non-points race included Van Greer (Pro), Mike Gill (Pro Bike), and Dylan Davis (Junior Dragster 1). It was the second straight year Greer and Gill took home a Wally.The 2006 Sunoco Bracket Racing Series season will officially conclude with the annual award’s banquet at the Holiday Inn at Exit 7 in Bristol, Va. on Feb. 3, 2007.